Baby Food Challenge featuring Kelsz Beautz..

Hi Foodies,

So my girl Kelsz Beautz set me up on this challenge, she came over to mine and we recorded a few videos, some for her channel and some for mine.

I had so much fun I laughed until I felt bloated lol.

Check out the video here; oh an by the way I won the baby food challenge :-)

Garlic & Ginger Pork Stir Fry

Hey Foodies,

Here's a dish I made earlier I hope you like it.

Trust me it tastes amazing.

Prep time (20mins)

Ingredients:-

4 Pork loin Steaks cut into strips (about 350g)
spring onions
3 cloves of peeled crushed fresh garlic
some chopped ginger
2 tablespoon of Dark soy sauce
1 tablespoons of Ground Ginger
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
a handful of red, green & yellow bell pepper
8 spring onions, roots removed and sliced into approximately 2cm chunks
salt to taste
half a stock cube
1 teaspoon of all purpose seasoning
1 teaspoon of dried thyme
add some scotch bonnet to your desired taste

Method:-

Cut the pork steaks into strips, make the marinade by adding the pork strips, soy sauce, all purpose seasoning, dried thyme, salt, stock cube into a food bag. Shake & mix well together and leave to marinate for 10 minutes.

Steam the broccoli & cauliflower florets for 2 minutes with water & butter, then drain.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over very high heat. Once its sizzling hot, add the pork marinade.
Move the pork around the pan and after about 7 minutes, add all the veggies.
Keep stir frying for another 2 minutes and voila it should be done.

Serve with Pasta, steamed rice or noodles.

Check out the video of this dish here:-

International Tea Day

Today 15th December 2015 is International Tea Day. It is a day observed since 2005. And since its also National Cupcake Day; so my day is absolutely complete :-)

International Tea Day aims to draw global attention of governments and citizens to the impact of the global tea trade on workers, small growers and consumers. The first International Tea Day was celebrated in New Delhi on 15 December 2005 and the second International Tea Day celebrations were held in Sri Lanka on 15 December 2006. The International Tea Day celebrations and the Global Tea Conferences preceding them were jointly organized by Trade Union movements. (source-wikipedia)

Growing up, drinking tea was reserved for my grandmother's visits which made it a strict and fascinating ritual. And now as an adult, I don't think I can go a day without having my cuppa in the morning. I'm so obsessed it unreal.

What is your favourite cup of tea?

National Cupcake Day

As much as I love cupcakes, I find it daunting baking them into perfection...

Happy National Cupcake Day; I'll celebrate with Lola's cupcakes below.

picture source:- pinterest.com

Restaurant Review- Warden Beefeater

Happy Holidays Foodies; the weather is so not friendly these days. All I really wanna do is curl up in my duvet, watch series, blog and eat.

But obviously as a working mum, It would be really difficult. 

Although winter is the month of darkness & cold, it doesn't stop me from making a pit stop at Beefeater Luton.

I usually tend to go for their Club sandwiches as they are super amazing, but this time here's what I had below

Here's what I had to start with:-

Prawn Cocktail platter served with cold bread

For main I had Rib eye Steak served with Chunky Spicy Chips & side salad

The second plate is not mine, I promise its my hubby's :-) He had Beef burger & Chunky spicy chips

I opted out dessert as I was super full up with the starter and main.

My verdict:-

I'll definately keep going there; this is one restaurant that I can actually not get tired of visiting. Reason being, there are so many options on their menu. I feel like I have to try all on their menu.

Service:- A bit slow to get a table in busy periods, and you might just about get turned away if you didn't book a table. Now bear in mind that Beefeater is a Grill Steak restaurant, its usually full of workers or the elderly, but all in all I always enjoy my time there. Also their staffs are very polite.

Food:- I have nothing negative to say about the food, they never disappoint me every time I visit so I'll give them an 8 out of 10 for food.

Price:- Reasonably priced, expect to spend around £45 to £50 for two adults on a night, this includes their lovely cocktails & beers. So not too bad

Overall:- Its one of hubby's favourite places to eat and I can't really fault anything, so thumbs up to you Beefeater. And what I love the most about them is the fact that they have a points card that you can collect points whenever you visit for money off at your next visit. And that's not all, they also get you to fill out a 10 minute survey online and you win a bottle of wine once complete (happy days)

I visited the Luton branch.

National Ice-Cream Day

Happy Sunday Foodies & Happy National Ice-Cream Day...

Not the best weather to have an Ice-cream but hey ho, its still worth celebrating :-)

Happy National Ice-cream day, I scooped mine with a selection of fruits & chocolate cake for a friend that came visiting.... yum

What is your favourtite Ice- cream flavour? I wrote a previous post on my blog few months ago, check out here for my favourite Ice-cream flavour. http://saiprojectscooking.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/ice-cream-flavours.html

A Peak with Saiprojects Cooking- "Favourite Secret Celebrity Chefs"

This just got me thinking, Are there any celebrities who love to roll their sleeves up and get busy in the kitchen? Try new concoctions, or recreate old classics and family recipes? Is there a whole collective of secret celebrity chefs out there?

I checked online and the results I found were shocking, have a look below:-

Kris Jenner

It’s stuff I’ve been making literally since I was a teenager," Kris Jenner told Ryan Seacrest about her 2014 cookbook, In the Kitchen with Kris: A Kollection of Kardashian-Jenner Family Favorites. "I got married really young and had Kourtney really young, and started making a whole bunch of different dishes. I went to cooking school and then every family member as everybody got older started pointing out their favorites. So this is a compilation of everything I love to cook." I'm not surprised as she is always in the kitchen majority of times on their reality show.

Chrissy Teigen

The food-loving swimsuit model has long expressed her love for food and preparing handmade meals on Instagram. Teigen shared one hilarious photo of herself, gripping a knife while cutting meat at home.

David Beckham

Aside from being one of the best looking men 

in the world, this man can actually whip a 

meal or 2.

Victoria has always said that David is the 

main chef of the Beckham family. Clearly too

afraid to soil her one-of-a-kind wardrobe, 

hapless Posh is more than happy to let ol' 

Golden balls himself wear the cook's hat

at their home. 

Jordan Dunn

She may be a sexy, skinny model, but Jordan 

Dunn knows how to fry up a proper meal as 

well. The dark-haired babe has her own 

Youtube cooking series, humorously called 

Well Dunn with Jourdan Dunn. 

Harry Styles

He sings, he smoulders, he makes pizza. 

Harry Styles impresses fans with his pizza

making skills. How many 1D fans wouldn't

want him to knead some dough in front of 

them? I don't mind a collab with him though 

:-)

Restaurant Review- Turtle Bay Milton Keynes

Hi Foodies, Restaurant reviews will be a new section I'll be starting on my blog. Just incase you do not know, I love going out to eat and reviewing food; not just food but also the service as they both go hand in hand. 

This is a call to all restaurants out there, i'll be popping in to check out your food and the customer service as they both go hand in hand.

If the food is great and the service is rubbish, trust me I'll be talking about it and letting all my foodies know.

Now one of my favourite places to eat in the UK is Turtle Bay- a Caribbean restaurant with many branches all around the UK.

For cutter I had Jerk Pit Prawns with herb, chilli & garlic butter

 For main I had the ever glorious Jerk chicken with Rice n Peas served on a bed of side salad

I opted out dessert as the cutter & main are so filling.

My verdict on the whole experience:-

Food- Now as a Foodie myself I love to eat out and review foods from different restaurants. Their food is amazing and if you're a spice lover then this is a place for you.

Service- The service was pretty slow as the restaurant was super packed; however they have a nice bar located in the restaurant where you can drink the night away before you start munching.

Overall my experience was amazing, thank you Turtle bay for having me :-)

I visited the Milton Keynes branch

Its beginning to look alot like Christmas..

London is so pretty, and I know my last few posts have been very Christmasy but what's a girl who loves Christmas season to do.

I went window shopping today and I saw a few things that caught my eye, the scenery and all the Christmas decor makes London look so beautiful.

Check out the new Apple store in Brent Cross... Looks amazing, makes you wanna go in there. 

Now I don't live in London, I live on the outskirts of London and every time I visit London I find myself taking pictures like a tourist :-)

And I couldn't visit Brent Cross shopping centre without making a pit stop at my favourite cake house; Lola's  Handcrafted Cupcake hut.. Jeez their cupcakes are to die for..

The lady was kind enough to give me a smile :-)

"We Watch, We Listen, and We Remember" (Game of Thrones Season 6)

If you are like me and you have been living under the rock and you haven't seen Game of thrones yet; well you happen to be the only one now! Apart from me feeding and taking care of my little one, I've been on a straight marathon of Game of thrones for the past 3 days none stop! Yes and I mean all 5 series.



If you are a regular reader of my blog, you would remember I wrote a post titled Best Series of 2015:-
http://saiprojectscooking.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/tv-shows-best-series-of-2015.html Game of Thrones was amongst my top 10.

I now see what my husband has been on about for the past 3 years to do with this series. It's everything a show is meant to be from the Epic battle scenes, through the mythical story line, with the primitive beliefs in ancient gods of seven kingdoms, to sexual scenes of the runaway dragon princess in her bid to acquire armies that will help in regaining her kingdom. Amidst the chaos, are a neglected military order of misfits that are tasked in watching over the realms of men against the icy horrors beyond.

After I completed my self tasked series race of season 5, scrolling through YouTube I found the released Teaser to season 6 to be out next April 2016 by HBO. I must say I couldn't contain my excitement and thought I would share the news with you my fellow readers. ENJOY:-

Spice up your Christmas with TryMyKitchen.com- AMAZING GIVEAWAY

Hey Foodies,

We at Saiprojects Cooking are collaborating with the founders of Try my Kitchen to bring you great giveaways in the whole of December starting from now.

Try My Kitchen are a new food tech website on the block making it easy to search and purchase the right cookery class in London.

TryMyKitchen is committed to offering authentic food experiences. Whether in a restaurant or at someone's individual home.  "They believe food can be the glue that brings communities together and that TryMyKitchen serves as a platform that allows the chef and chef at heart to bring out creativity in their cooking which they can share with others"

TryMyKitchen.com, celebrates its launch this month by giving away Christmassy recipe kits with every cooking class booked &If you are a foodie like me, then you cannot afford to miss this great opportunity. Book your first cookery class before Dec 31^st 2015 and TryMyKitchen sends you 2 spicy recipe kits to kick off your Christmassy feeling.

From sushi, baking, pizza making, knife skills to learning best kept secrets of world cuisine. TryMyKitchen has cooking classes in London for all taste and levels.  For the foodie, a site has arrived which is set to inspire you to learn and try the best food experiences out there. 

Great imagery, reviews and in depth filtering all aid the customer to find what they are looking for. Picking up those new cooking skills in time for next year has never been so compelling. If you are stuck to know what to buy a friend. TryMyKitchen also makes it simple to buy any chosen cookery class as a gift. You set the day, time,  add a personalised message and the perfect gift is on its way. 

I have also bagged myself some of the freebies and I can guarantee you that its not to be missed; stay tuned as I'll also be sharing the recipes with you on my Youtube channel.

Details of the competition can be found here:-https://www.trymykitchen.com/spice-up-your-christmas

TryMyKitchen are also on all social media

For further information please contact: 0207 846 0007

Website:- https://www.trymykitchen.com/
Twitter:- https://www.twitter.com/TryMyKitchen
Facebook:- https://www.facebook.com/TryMyKitchen
Google+:- https://www.google.com/+TryMyKitchen
Instagram:- https://www.instagram.com/trymykitchen
Pinterest:- https://uk.pinterest.com/trymykitchen
Blog:- https://www.TryMyKitchen.com/blog/
     

Advent Calendars

As kids anticipate the big day, indulge them with a small treat each day with a Christmas Countdown Advent Calendar.

I'm not a kid but trust me I always look forward to those calendars being left on my work desk at the start of December & the good thing is I get to eat 3 chocolates on a Friday as its the weekend and not back to work until the Monday lol (yes that's the kid in me).

I particularly love these Christmas Tree advent calendars, they are super cute & also re-usable.

Spice it Up- Must have Kitchen Spices

Sundays are for spices, I love making Sunday dinner. It gives me a breath of fresh air, I feel really happy within me when I cook on Sundays as it gives me a fresh start to the week.

I love spicing up my dishes to give it that flavour & aroma it should have. Every foodie needs a well stocked spice cabinet in their Kitchen.

Here's a list of herbs, spices & seasonings I love-

Stock cubes- There's hardly any Afro-Caribbean cooked dish that doesn't require stock cubes. Its my go-to and I must not run out of them in my kitchen. It helps to enhance the natural flavours of your food.

Cayenne Pepper- Made from a small, spicy red pepper, this is the foundation of many bottled hot sauces. Used frequently in Afro- Caribbean ,Cajun and Indian recipes.

Thyme- This fragrant herb adds an amazing flavour to meat, poultry & veggies. It's popular in Afro-Caribbean, Mediterranean, Cajun and Creole cuisines.

Bay leaves- These aromatic, woodsy- tasting leaves are typically sold dried. Add whole bay leaves to rice such as Jollof rice, soups, stews, and marinades; always make sure you remove before serving.

Curry Powder- Up to 20 spices including coriander, cumin & tumeric can make up this popular Indian blend. The Madras variety has more heat & I cannot do without adding a bit of curry in majority of my dishes.


Ginger & Garlic- I love the intense taste ginger & garlic gives to dishes.

2015 Holiday Gift Guide

Happy Saturday Foodies..

So every shopping centre I step into is full of Christmasy and Holiday gift ideas. And also 

Thanksgiving is only just gone past which means its time for the holiday season :-)

My eyes get super sparkly around this time because it really is the most wonderful time of the year. Just a couple more days until the beginning of my all time favorite holiday season – the season of food indulgence and gift giving. I’m obsessed with gift giving and I really really love gift guides so, here we go, these are my picks for 2015.

1. Iphone 6S- With the new amazing camera edits. This is definately a must buy.
2. PlayStation 4- Every man loves him a PlayStation, its so versatile it can practically do everything. A bit on the pricey side though.
3. GTA- Grand Theft Auto- Exciting open world, action packed, adventure, does all you can imagine.. lol says my nephews, so a must buy for the boys.
4. FIFA 16- very competitive, next generation of football, fun packed, vivacious. Its a fun game with lots of teams where they play and determines the winner by their skills, passing & shooting.
5. CALL of DUTY- fantastic game play & also very competitive. Fun game to play with family & friends.
6. Games chair- every gamer needs one of these. I'm over here watching my nephews play on their playstation and straining their backs. This would be ideal for them

1. A Michael Kors watch; I got one of these for Christmas last year from the hubby and it could pass for a Rolex. Its definately a woman's must have.
2. Armani Si perfume
3. If you don't have one of these Benola fleeces then you're missing out. Its perfect for a Christmas gift for male & female. Their website is under construction but available here on their ebay shop.http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MENS-QUARTER-ZIP-FLEECE-LONG-SLEEVE-SWEATSSHIRT-JACKET-SIZE-S-XL-/151892585587?var=&hash=item235d80ec73:m:mEPpGjLEmZpYSmwpiKR3E9A
4. Fry up with this amazing wok.
5. Plate set 

National Cookie Day

source-http://www.ibtimes.com/

Today 4th December 2015 is National cookie day. Its a day of the year when you don't have to be blue to be a cookie monster. The observance was reportedly launched in the 1980s by the Blue Chip Cookie Co., and it's still going strong today. Get your weekend started early by eating a cookie or 2. :-)

I love my tea and I'll definately be eating my Chocolate chip cookie today :-) I haven't got a recipe for it yet, but I'm definately going to be trying one of Nigella's.

Christmas Meal Ideas

There's only 22 more sleeps till Christmas and I'm sure we're all looking forward to spending it with our families and loved ones.

If you're like me and like to plan ahead, you should already have been thinking of what's on your menu for dinner this Christmas.

I've put a few easy recipes down to give you an idea of what you can possibly serve at your dinner this year.

• The good ol Xmas turkey; there's no Christmas party without a nice juicy, moist bird. I have a video tutorial on how to season the best turkey here on my YouTube page:- https://youtu.be/IISe7ZpbUsw
• Swirl pieces of bread in a warm pot of oozy melted cheese & white wine.. Perfect for that cold winter day
• Jollof Rice- If you're African, this will definitely be a "not miss" on your menu this Xmas- check out my recipe here-https://youtu.be/CDppVpjkTng
• Fried Rice- Same as above, its a must serve. https://youtu.be/okr6MvpOVps
• Assorted meat- No African party is complete without assorted meat. Here's a tutorial on it-https://youtu.be/iB-4SqomlWE
• Macaroni cheese- My Xmas is not complete without a serving of mac n cheese by the side of my roast dinner
• Ham is a perfect choice of main course if you're thinking of swapping the traditional turkey this year. Ham is great when glazed with a mix of spices.
•  A good Salad with some nice dressing can never go wrong on your Xmas night.
• To accompany the main meal; Brussel sprouts, carrots, parsnips, broccoli and cauliflower roasted with oil, garlic & pecans gives a perfect combination of sweet and crunchy.
• Tender oven roast potatoes
• For desserts- After an elaborate meal, you may want a simple finish. Try topping cake with honeyed orange slices (yum)
• Chocolate Gateau- Christmas is the only season I'm not on a diet lol so I get to indulge with one of these. Trust me no Christmas  dinner is complete in my household without a chocolate gateau.

Now there's no Xmas party without beautiful décor and proper table setting.
Here's an example of an image I found online on table setting; if there's one area I need to Improve at, it'll be my table setting skills. I'm really trying but I like perfection so I guess I'll get there one day.

TV Shows- Best Series of 2015

Hey Foodies,

So as a new mum currently on Mat leave; I find that sometimes when baby's asleep, hubby's out & I'm not cooking, I finally have some free time on my hands, and to be honest I'm not really a TV person but lately I have been watching alot of series online. Yes online :-)

You guys in the US probably get to see majority of these shows months before its even advertised on UK TV but guess what, I've found a way yipeeee!!!!

If Netflix, Amazon prime or Now TV is on the pricey side and you are unable to afford it, you can stream them free online.

If you're still watching cable TV, trust me you are so back in the day lol

To watch all latest series, i'll be giving away different online sites that you can stream these shows.

Here they are below; now let me know if you have any good ones that I haven't mentioned.

Remember you need to have good antivirus on your computer to avoid pop ups and spammers.

• Watchseries online- http://onlineseries.ch/
• Putlocker- http://putlocker.is/
• Movie 25- http://www.movie25.sr/category/hollywood/
• Project Free TV- http://projectfreetv.so/

I'm not sure of the legal ramification of these sites and depending on your country of residence, some internet providers do not allow access into these sites so be weary.

Now lets get to my top 5 shows

1. Being Mary Jane- The main actor in this show is my girl Gabrielle Union, omg I get goosebumps when I watch this show. Its just very family and love related. Bottom line is she's a very wealthy newsreader who struggle to find love. Always falls in the hands of the wrong men and her family never seem to understand her. Go watch it I've given you a little teaser :-)

2. Empire - My second favourite is the ever popular music drama "Empire" depicting the life of a successful hip-hop artist and his family's entertainment company. Staring Terrence Howard as Lucious Lyon and the very talented Taraji P. Henson as Cookie his ex-wife. With their 3 sons who fight it out to be the successor to the Empire throne!



3. Keeping Up With The Kardashians - Not having the Kardashians in my list would offend a lot of people! They are the family we've all come to love ever since they showed up on our TV screens 10 years ago. The funny thing is every season these guys get to bring out something intriguing that keeps us fascinated to them. From their sister Kim making a sex tape to getting married 3 times, to their mum Kris Jenner managing their careers to stardom. I predict the Kardashians will remain on our TV screens for another 10 years as this family will not stop pulling the rabbit out of the hat for us all.

4. If you love the British Monarchy like I do, then this show is definately a "not miss" on your series list. This show is my guilty pleasure. Not very popular in the UK but popular in the US. It is an American television drama with a full British cast. It is a fictional contemporary British royal family who struggle with common and atypical family dramas in the public eye.




5. If you remember Julianna Margulies from the very first series of ER, then you'll know who "Alicia", the main actor of the good wife is. Alicia's husband Peter is a state attorney that had to go to jail for corruption on funds mis-management. Alicia then had to face the struggles of going back to the work life as a lawyer after 15 years of being a Full time Mum. She had to get her mojo back to being a lawyer.
Fab show I'm loving it so far.



Other shows on my watch list are below; I haven't really gotten into it but I'm getting there :-)












Let me know what's on your series "must watch" list :-)